The Bold Women of Brescia: Laura Katz Feature

Her vision for Helaina – one that sees a future where breastfeeding does not define the health of children or the worth of their parents – is taking the world by storm. By cold calling investors from her kitchen table and selling the dream of greater equity in infant nutrition, Laura has already raised more than $25 million in venture capital. A number that is made doubly exciting by the fact women receive merely 2 per cent of the world’s start-up funding.

If tackling infant nutrition and maternal empowerment wasn’t a tall enough order, Laura and her clinical team also plan to apply their novel concept to enhancing the immune system at every life stage with future products including prenatal and children’s vitamins, nutritional shakes, senior health products and more. 

When asked about the undeniably feminist positioning of Helaina, Laura was quick to point out the ways women continue to be valued differently than men and what she is doing to change that. “Addressing the equity gap is such an important part of what we are trying to do,” Laura explains. “We want to advance every part of women’s journeys. There is so much expected of moms, and our products aim to empower them, so we can work towards a more equal world. That’s at the core of who we are.”

Beyond providing the spark that ignited her passion for nutrition, it was Brescia’s “female-positive” environment that was critical in shaping Laura’s feminist foundation and her future. Prior to coming to Brescia, Laura underestimated how meaningful an education designed to nurture women’s unique gifts could be. But, getting to engage with students who were eager to uplift and challenge one another to be at their best helped set her up for success and more easily manage the transition from student to thriving entrepreneur.

As someone whose career would revolve around science, Laura also immediately saw the advantages of Brescia’s unique relationship with Western University. She took full advantage of being able to access the wide-ranging academic opportunities presented by one of Canada’s leading research institutions while also getting to recharge within small classrooms where there is a big emphasis on wraparound student support. After graduating with her Western degree and all its distinctive Brescia qualities, she was well prepared to thrive as a business leader who acts with integrity, empathy and a people-first approach to profit.

Brescia is immensely proud of Laura’s achievements. Beyond her phenomenal entrepreneurial success, we are in awe of her ongoing dedication to supporting women and their families. We applaud the ways she seamlessly combines intellectual curiosity with wise and compassionate leadership, and we will be cheering her on in all that she continues to achieve.